


Star Wars: Episode IV- The Darkness Within

by Creed_Nation



Series: The Smith Saga [10]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic (Video Games), Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:28:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29316351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creed_Nation/pseuds/Creed_Nation
Summary: Within the deepest, darkest sections of the Imperial-occupied Mandalore, a resistance is rising within. When the Sith Lord, Darth Vader, and the Inquisitors arrive to bring an end to this insurrection, there is one man who dares to challenge all of them: John Smith, a war veteran suffering a great lost from the last war and feeling a dark presence wanting to be free.
Series: The Smith Saga [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1486988





	1. Chapter 1

_But when a long train of abuse and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guard for their future security. -from the U.S. Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson_

Star Wars: Episode IV

The Darkness Within

Tyranny rules the galaxy. The forces

of Emperor Palpatine enforce his rule.

Great or small, no one is given mercy.

On MANDALORE, the Emperor sends his

deadliest weapon, DARTH VADER, and

his INQUISITORS to put the planet into

submission to his empire.

Within the planet itself, in the soul and body

of a broken veteran of war, a darkness greater

than the Emperor awaits to show itself...


	2. Chapter 2

Today, of all days, wasn't a good one for anyone on Mandalore. The Imperial forces were parodying themselves through the main city on the planet. It was no more than a show of power. No one dared to show disapprovement, for they knew the consequences of doing that.

As the demonstration continued, a lonely man sneaked about in a restricted area. He broke into the security room where security cameras where observed to search the crowd for unwanted activity. He shot all five officers in the room in less than three seconds.

"I broke my record," he said as he looked at his watch on his left wrist.

The man began to place a device on the main panel in the room and left.

"Now, where are the barracks?"

He noticed two stormtroopers walk by, with one of them saying that he was off to the barracks.

"Well then, lead the way."

He followed the trooper to the barracks. He sneaked into the shadows and pointed his weapon behind a guard's head. A guard that he knew to well.

"Hello, Franz."

"General Smith," the guard said.

"You've lost some weight, I see."

"Over ten pounds."

"Yeah? I'm impressed."

"Are you here on business, sir?"

"Yes, I am. Tell you what, take the rest of forever off after this."

Franz removed his helmet, turned around, and faced Smith. "Yes, sir."

Both men saluted each other one more time before they parted ways.

Smith entered the barracks and quickly, yet silently killed all the troopers in the barracks. He set the second device in a locker and left, but stopped briefly to count ten troopers in the barracks.

"Next stop, the command center."

Once at the command center, he rushed to the center of the room and fired his weapons in different directions. After thirty seconds, every man in the room was dead.

"Gun kata, bitches," Smith said and placed his weapons in their holsters.

He placed a third device and left. He broke through a panel under a sound speaker and ripped out the cables. He placed some of the cables together and input them into a device that played music from Earth. He played an instrumental version of the patriotic song "Battle Hymn of The Republic" and walked calmly away, humming the song as he walked. He pressed a button on a separate device and explosions followed. As the explosions continued, fireworks went off and the music echoed through the city.

"Happy Fourth of July, Mandalore," he whispered as he walked through the crowd that was in chaos.

***

"This is the fifth attack from the terrorist in the past year," said ISB agent Goer Vactesau to Grand Moff Tarkin. "Who ever he is, he has military training. If this continues, the people on Mandalore will think the Empire is weak and other worlds would soon follow."

"No need to worry," Tarkin replied. "The Emperor has sent his best to oversee this terrorist."

"He knows about the Inquisitors. He killed two of them in his fourth attack."

"He will soon be facing three of them, including the Grand Inquisitor. Also, Lord Vader will be coming there, too."

Vactesau gulped. "Understood. If I fail, I know what will come."

"Indeed."

***

Smith sat on his bed alone in his rented apartment. Despite being happy with his display before the Empire and Mandalore, he was awful silent for someone who was happy. Outside, he could appear to everyone like he was ordinary person; inside, he was broken. Nearly twelve years had past since the Clone Wars reputedly ended and he still feel the losses of the war. The Terrans were being hunted down as criminals and treated like invaders of the Empire. The Jedi Order was destroyed and an estimated of ninety-five percent were killed at the temple and on the battlefields. Then there was the personal lost: Aayla. She wasn't just his world, but heart and soul. When she was killed before him, he felt a part of himself die that day. He wondered if there was more taken from him than just her.

Why? Let's find out.

***

_Twelve years ago, the three nights before Order 66_

Smith woke up in the middle of the night. He stared at Aayla, who head was laid on his bare chest. He slipped out of the bed silently and gently and stared out the window of his courters. He observed the base and the troopers patrolling the walls. He had a feeling the war was almost over. He had heard that Count Dooku was now dead, with only General Grievous left to rid the galaxy of. He hoped that it would be soon.

"John, are you okay?" Aayla asked, rapt in the bed sheet. "It won't be daytime for a few hours."

"You remember the day we confessed our love?" he asked. "We made conditions that we agreed to uphold until the war was over."

"It's almost over. I can sense it."

"The Order will soon know about us."

"I've decided to leave the Order after this mission is over, as we agreed. Now, will you come back to bed with me?"

"My sleep is gone from me."

"Well, at least get in bed with me. Please."

Smith sighed. "Okay."

They got in the bed and Aayla fell asleep. Smith, however, stayed awake.

"God, show me mercy," he whispered as he ran his hand down Aayla's head and down her back.

***

_Present day_

Indeed, God showed mercy by sparing his life, but at the cost of the woman he loved.

"'The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away,'" he said. "Well, mother, I should have heeded what you taught me."

_Release me._

He bolted off his bed. Who said that? There was no one else in the room. That voice. It sounded familiar.

He moved his bed up into the wall at the head and pulled something out of his desk. A lightsaber. Aayla's lightsaber. He activated the blade and began to practice with it.


	3. Chapter 3

Gar Saxon awaited Lord Vader as the shuttle landed on the platform. He never met Vader, but he heard the stories and descriptions of the dark lord. He knew about the reputation of the Inquisitors, though given the terrorist killed two of them, he was not impressed by them. When the platform came down, Vader and three Inquisitors came down.

"Welcome to Mandalore, Lord Vader," Saxon said. "We've been expecting you."

"Spare me the introductions, viceroy," Vader replied. "Tell me what you know about this terrorist and who is working for him."

"We have yet to know whether he is part of an insurgence or working alone, but he is cunning. He goes to and fro, like he is the governor."

"I suspect that he has knowledge to know not to give away his face?"

"We have one image that reveals him to be a human Terran, but he has hidden his face from the image."

"What is it about this man that suggests that he is Terran?"

"During his last attack, he played this." He showed the events of the attack and the song that played on the loud speakers. "That is the rhythm to a famous patriotic song from Earth called Battle Hymn of the Republic. I have studied some of Earth's knowledge and this was one of them. Also, from what else I know, that day was the Earth-day of the Fourth of July, a day of independence for one of the nations of Earth."

"Impressive. Grand Inquisitor, send out the Seventh Sister to the lower levels and the Fifth Brother to the barracks. You will remain at the command center with me."

"As you wish, my lord," said the Grand Inquisitor.

***

The Seventh Sister made her way through the lower levels, where the most retched of scum of Mandalore lived. A place where law and order had no presence there. She knew this was the perfect place for a Terran to hide himself in. They would be like everyone else here, so finding the terrorist here would be no easy task.

She noticed a sign at the entrance to a pub that said "Fight Night".

"Probably pointless," she said. "But I must be sure."

She opened the shielding on her helmet and entered the pub. Getting a sit in the upper section, she watched as a dark man fought a man twice his size. The dark man appeared to preferred to slap his opponent than to punch him, but it appeared to work in his favor. He appeared to take every hit that was given and never seemed to run out of energy.

The dark man was being referred as Ronin Grannor, which would be an unusual name for a Terran.

Suddenly, Grannor was calling off the fight, despite not appearing tired. The Seventh Sister sensed there was more, like there was a presence that troubled the man. A dark presence. His opponent was having none of it and spat Grannor in the back of his head. He stopped and frozed.

***

Smith felt the presence nearby, unsure what it was. But with the slobber on his head, it broke his focus. He felt anger build up in him, but he knew he must use it. After all, he promised Aayla that he wouldn't act out of anger again.

 _This mustn't register on an emotional level,_ he thought.

_First, distract target._

_Then block his blind jab._

_Counter with cross to left cheek._

_Discombobulate._

_Dazed, he'll attempt wild haymaker._

_Employ elbow block and body shot._

_Block feral left._

_Weaken right jaw._

_Now fracture._

_Break cracked ribs._

_Traumatize solar plexus._

_Dislocate jaw entirely._

_Heel kick to diaphragm._

_In summery: ears ringing, jaw fractured, three ribs cracked, four broken, diaphragm hemorrhaging._

_Physical recovery: six weeks._

_Full psychological recovery: six months._

_Ability to spit at back of head: neutralized._

_Though, I will need to be gentle with the discombobulation, otherwise he'll bleed to death because of it._

***

Grannor began to move again and went to the other side of the ring. The Seventh Sister saw how fast he moved, sending his opponent out of the ring.

The opponent was yelling as blood poured from ears and staining the floor.

"You'll want to get him to a medical professional before he bleeds to death," he said, cold and expressionless as he left.

"Interesting," she said. "Who is this Ronin Grannor?"


End file.
